Combined recorder and reproducer for talking-machines.



No. 874,973. \PATENTED DEC. 31', 1907.

- I T. H. MACDONALD.

COMBINED RECORDER AND REPRODUGER FOR TALKING MACHINES.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 190'?- attoznmy d .W WV

No. 874,973. PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907,

' v T. H. MACDONALD.

COMBINED RECORDER AND REPRODUGER FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27. 1907.

Y 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

$1 vwanfoz atto'onu d UNITED STATES I PATENT ,oFFroE.

THOMAS H. MACDONALD, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN GRAPHOPHONECOMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

:COMBINED RECORDER AND REPRODUCER FOR TALKING-MACHINES.

Specification of I etters Patent.

, Patented Dec. 31, 1907.

Application filed March 2'7, 1907- Serial No. 364,849.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. MACDON- ALD, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Combined Recorder and Reproducer for Talking-Machines, which inventionis fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to a combined recorder and reproducer for talking machines, and has for its object to provide such a device which will be readily shifted from the recording to the reproducing action, or from either the recording or the reproducing action to a position of inactivity, while at the same time providing a device which will be simple and cheap to manufacture and efficient in operation.

With these objects in view, the invention .consists in a slide and means for operating the same, upon which slide is sup orted a diaphragm carrying a recording sty us and a,

diaphragm is formed integrally with the head itself, instead of beingjointed thereto, as heretofore.

One mechanical expression of the inventive idea isembodied' in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a central transverse vertical section, showing the parts in the position which they occupy when the recording stylus is in contact with the record; Fig. 2 is a like view with the reprod'ucing'stylus in contact with the record; and Fig. 3 is a similar view with both the recording and reproducing styli lifted from or out of contact with the record. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view.

Referring .to the drawings, 1 is a part of the carriage of the machine, and '2 is the usual sectional nut by which the carriageis caused to engage the usual or any suitable advancing screw, said nut being normally pressed inward towards the screw by the spring 3. This nut has two reversely inclined cam surfaces 4 and 5 which meet in a centrally located apex, as shown. Surrounding guidetube 6 which protects the propelling screw (not shown) is disk 7 having on its lower portion two cam faces 8 and 9, and on its upper portion a segment 10 provided with rack-teeth, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Mounted upon the carriage portion 1 is a slide 11 provided on its under side'with a rack 12 engaged by the segmental rack-teeth 10, and secured to disk 7 is a handle 13 projecting upward through a slot 14 in the top of the slide,'while 15 is an upwardly projecting lug permanently secured to the carriage.

'The slide projects outward over the record 16 and is provided on its upper side with a horn or sound-tube-receiving neck 17, the

interior of the neck tapering as at 18 along 7 its upper portion, but being substantially cylindrical, as at 19, in the lower portion of the neck.

20 is the recorder or reproducer head which has formed integral therewith the u wardly projecting neck 21, which is of less than the cylindrical portion 19-, and is provided with a flaring mouth 22 which fits loosely within the cylindrical portion 19. The recorder or reproducer head and the neck or tube 21 are preferably struckfup from a single piece of metal, a dependingflange 23 being provided within which is seated the diaphragm 24 held in lace by the usual rubber gaskets or any ot er suitable means. Carried on the diaphragm 24 is the support 25 for the recording stylus 26 and the reproducing stylus 27, which are arranged one behind the other in a plane transverse to the axis of the record 16 and substantially inthe line of movement of the slide. The position of the recording stylus 26 and the reproducing stylus 27 is such that when the slide is in the position shown in Fig. 1 the re-- cording stylus is in operative relation with the record 16, the curve of the record, however, being such that the reproducing stylus 27 is out of contact therewith. On the other hand, when the slide is at its extreme lefthand position, as shown in, Fig. .2, the record ing stylus 26 is out of contact with the record and the reproducing stylus is in contact therewith. It will thus be seen that when ameter one stylus is in operation the other is.substantially on the tangent tothe record atthe point occupied by the other stylus.

In order to remove the respective styli from contact with the record duringthe time when: the shifting occurs, so as to bring one or the other of the styli into operative position, and also in order to throw both styh out. of operation when desired, means are rovided whereby the styli are both li ted from the record at a point intermediate of the extreme throw of the slide. In order to accomplish this end and at the same time hold the diaphragm at all times parallel with the face of t 1e slide, the reproducer head is providedwith'two trunnions'28, 28, Fig. 4, and piece 29 provided with forked arms 30,

30, is ivoted at 31 to slide 11,-the outer ends of for s 30 having bearings within which the trunnions 28, 28 rest. Secured to slide 11 is a downwardly projecting slotted lug 32, and projecting through said slot is an arm 33 whose outer end rests on the inclined end of This lever 34 has on its under side a cam 36 which rests upon an abutment 37 forming a part of the carriage 1. As here shown, this abutment is in the form of a roller turning upon a pin 38. The construction of the cam portion of the lever.34 is such that when the slide is in its medial position, as shown in F ig. .3, the cam rests upon the roller and thereby raises the lever 34, and, by reason of contact of the lever with the end of arm 33, the diaphragm is also raised, the free sliding movement of flange 22 of tube 21 readily permitting this action. When the slide lever 13 is thrown from the up or medial position (see Fig. 1) to the recording position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the slide is thrown to the right,

'and the lever 34 is also thrown to the right so as to withdraw the cam 34 from off the abut-- .ment roller 37, thereby permitting the lever to fall and the reproducer head descends by gravity until the recording stylus rests upon the record. When the slide lever 13 is thrown from the up position at the left, however, and into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the cam 36 is pushed off of the abutting roller 37 and the lever permitted to descend with the recording stylus 27 in con tact with the record, as shown in Fig. 2. During these movements the reproducer head and'with it the diaphragm, rises and falls in a horizontal plane, thereby avoiding any rocking of the diaphragm and tendency of the recording stylus to gouge into the record or the reproducin stylus to unnecessarily press thereon, the rst and initial part of the movement being to prom tly elevate the stylus away from the recor in a substantially vertical direction.

When-the arm 13 is thrown into the medial or up position (Fig. 1) the apex lying between the cam faces 8 and 9 of disk 7 practically rests u on the apex of the nut that lies between t e cam faces 4 and 5, thereby pressingthe nut a ainst the tension of spring 3 and throwing tlie nut out of enga ement with the screw, and hence stopping t e machine. It will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1 that when thelever 13 is shifted either from the right or Left for throwing the recorder or reproducer into action the pressure on the nut will be removed and the. same will be again thrown upward so as to engage the propelling screw.

The stationary upwardly-projecting lug 15 aflords a ready means by which the operator can exactly adjust the throw of the lever 13 and by placing the thumb and forefinger upon the lever 13 and upon the head of the lug 15 and throwing the lever it can be readily stopped opposite the lug 15, and, as the lever 13 is the longer, its. projecting end to throw the slide in either direction away from the up or central position.

VVhat is claimed is:

1.' The combination of a diaphragm, a recording stylus and a reproducing stylus attached thereto, a-slide supporting said diaphragm, and means elevating the diaphragm relative to the slide at a point intermediate the extremes of movement of the slide.

2. The combination of a diaphragm, a recording stylus and a reproducing stylus con nected thereto, a slide, means supporting said dia hragm on said slide and parallel therewitli, means elevating the dia hragm upon the movement of the slide, an meansmaintaining the diaphragm parallel with the slide during the elevating movement.

3. The combination of a diaphragm, a recording stylus and a reproducing stylus con nected thereto, a slide supporting said diaphragm, and means moving the diaphragm from and permitting it to move by gravity towards the record, and means-maintaining the diaphragm substantially parallel with the slide'during said movements.

4. The combination of a.slide,a diaphragm supported by said slide, a style carried by the diaphragm and in contact'with the rec-' ord tablet, and means carried by the slide 'and lifting the diaphragm upon the movetowards the record While maintaining thediaphragm at all times substantially parallel with the slide. a

6. In a combined recorder and reproducer the combination of a diaphragm carrying a recording stylus and a reproducing stylus, a slide, flexible connections between said slide and diaphragm, means carried by the slide and acting to raise said diaphragm and permit it to fall on each forward or backward movement ofthe slide, and means for reciprocating said slide. 1

7. In a combined recorder and reproducer, the combination of a reciprocatable slide and means for actuating it, with a diaphragm, a head-or support therefor, a hinge-piece pivoted to said slide and said diaphragm-head,

means carried by the slide and engaging'a part of said diaphragm-head, and a device for raising said last-named means and permitting the same to descend by gravity on each full reciprocation of the slide.

8. In a combined recorder and-reproduc'er, the combination of a slide having a soundconveying neck projecting therefrom, a rec0rder or reproducer-head having an integrally formed neck fitting loosely in the neck on the slide, a diaphragm carried by said .slide, a style connected to said diaphragm and normally resting by gravity on the record tablet, and means carried by the slide and acting on the reciprocation of the slide to raise the diaphragm'and permit it to againdescend by gravity.

9. The combination of a carriage, a slide mounted thereon, means on the carriage whereby said slide may be reciprocated by hand, a diaphragm supporting 'a recording stylus and a reproducing stylus, a hingepiecepivoted to the slide and also to the diaphragm at opposite sides thereof, a lever pivoted to the slide and engaging the diaphragmhead, and means on the carriage engaging and elevating said lever at the medial point of each reciprocation of the slide but permitting said lever to fall when said medial point is passed.

10. The combination of a carriage, a slide 40 mounted thereon, means on the carriage whereby said slide may be reciprocated by hand, a diaphragm supporting a recording stylus and a reproducing stylus, a hingepiece pivoted to the slide and also to the diaphragm at opposite sides thereof, acam-lever fulcrumed on the slide, an abutment on the carriage and engaged by the cam on the said lever, the construction of the cam being such that the lever is elevated at the medial. point of the slides movement and permitted to fall as the slide is moved to either side of said medial point.- 11. he combination of a slide, a dia phragm carrying a recording stylus and a resaid head, and a recording stylus and a reproducing stylus carried by said diaphragm. In testimony whereofI have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' THOS. H. MACDONALD.

Witnesses:

A. B. KEOUGH, O. A. GIBNER. 

